Spinach recall expands

http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/food/story/7857005/

Spinach recall expands


Raleigh, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services expanded a recall of bagged spinach Friday after the presence of bacteria was detected in product samples.

Spinach sold under the brands of Krisp-Pak, Lancaster Fresh, Giant and America’s Choice should be discarded if the label says "Best Enjoyed By 19 Jun 10 through 27 Jun 10," authorities said.

Earlier in the week, the state issued a recall for 10-ounce packages of Krisp-Pak Ready to Eat Hydro-Cooled Fresh Spinach with the code: “Best Enjoyed By: 23 Jun 10, Product of USA, 10/158/09:17/1/05.”

State inspectors collected the product from a Farm Fresh store in Elizabeth City. No illnesses associated with this product have been reported.

The recall extends to products sold in North Carolina, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

“Consumers who have this product should throw the contents of the bag away and contact the Lancaster Foods at 1-800-247-8125 for additional information,” Dan Ragan, director of the Agriculture Department's Food and Drug Protection Division, said in a statement. “Listeria is particularly dangerous to persons with weakened immune systems and pregnant women.”

Healthy individuals might suffer only short-term symptoms, such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Study: Reusable shopping bags may present health risk

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/06/shopping-bags-health-risk/1

Study: Reusable shopping bags may present health risk

Can going green put your health at risk? Reusable bags meant to replace plastic ones can carry germs that pose problems, a University of Arizona study finds.

The researchers tested 84 bags and found that over half were contaminated with bacteria, the Arizona Republic reports.

"A lot of people are not aware of the potential for the cross-contamination of food," Charles Gerba, co-author of the study, told the Republic.

Do the bags contain enough bacteria to make you sick? Gerba said sometimes there may be enough germs to cause physical ailments. He recommends washing the reusable bags after you use them for food such as raw meat since it can leak onto the fabric.

Homeland Security Denies Interest in Blanket Amnesty for Illegals

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/25/homeland-security-denies-blanket-amnesty-illegals/


Homeland Security Denies Interest in Blanket Amnesty for Illegals

The Department of Homeland Security on Friday denied any plans to grant blanket amnesty to the "entire illegal immigrant population," following claims from senators and others that the Obama administration has been holding behind-the-scenes talks to craft a gameplan for mass legalization.

The concern is that DHS, in a bid to bypass Congress, would extend what is known as deferred action or parole -- actions usually taken on a case-by-case basis -- to millions of illegal immigrants at once.

The department statement, however, did not address the possibility of giving a selective reprieve to the segment of the population holding expired visas -- as opposed to those who crossed illegally. This is something that a former Bush administration official told FoxNews.com could be an option.

But the statement said the reprieves would not be drastically expanded. The department, while affirming its authority to grant the extensions "on the merits of cases," said they are applied on a "case-by-case" basis.

"DHS does not grant deferred action without a review of relevant facts," the statement said. "To be clear, DHS will not grant deferred action to the nation's entire illegal immigrant population."

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The Department of Homeland Security expressed the administration's support for the recently unveiled Senate immigration overhaul, calling it "a step in the right direction."

But several sources said it was their understanding that the administration has been discussing alternatives to congressional action.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said he's spoken with people contacted by the White House for their opinion on ways to provide "amnesty for a large number of people."

The congressman said the administration is either considering the option or floating it as a trial balloon for "leverage" to pass the immigration bill.

"It's one or it's the other," he said.

In a separate interview, a former Bush official claimed to have spoken with at least people involved in the administration talks on the subject and said at the minimum, the administration was "studying legal ways to legalize people without having to go through any congressional debate about it."

The former official said targeting the segment of the population that had overstayed visas could work, though such a plan would be "woefully inappropriate."

The Department of Homeland Security estimated last year that 10.8 million undocumented residents live in the United States -- the Pew Hispanic Center, which has a similar count, estimated in 2006 that at least 4 million of them overstayed their visas.

The issue was raised publicly earlier this week by eight Republican senators who wrote to the White House complaining that they had heard the administration was readying a "Plan B" in case a comprehensive immigration reform bill cannot win enough support to clear Congress.

They warned that any unilateral action would "further erode the American public's confidence in the federal government and its commitment to securing the borders and enforcing the laws already on the books."

Darden Restaurants shares fall on consumer concern

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2412680420100624n

LOS ANGELES, June 24 (Reuters) - Shares in Olive Garden and Red Lobster parent Darden Restaurants Inc (DRI.N) fell 4.1 percent on Thursday after the company issued a full-year earnings forecast that assumes sales at its major chains will grow and that was above analyst views.

Earlier this year, casual dining chains appeared to be recovering from a multi-year sales slump, but stubbornly high U.S. unemployment, a weak housing market and worries that Europe's debt crisis could usher in a double-dip recession have some consumers pulling back on meals away from home.

Share in Darden fell $1.70 to $40.20 in midday trading on the New York Stock Exchange, while the Dow Jones U.S. Restaurant and Bars index .DJUSRU was off 3.7 percent.

Elsewhere, shares in Chili's Grill & Bar parent and Darden rival Brinker International Inc (EAT.N) shed 3.3 percent.

Darden on Wednesday reported quarterly profit that fell shy of Street estimates, in part because of a charge related to higher-than-expected gift card redemptions, and issued a fiscal 2011 profit forecast slightly above analysts' target.

Its growth forecast for the year ending May 2011 translated into earnings of $3.26 to $3.35 per share on a 2 percent to 3 percent gain in sales at its established Olive Garden, Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants.

"As we look ahead to 2011, we do expect operating conditions to improve and that's going to be a continuation of the improvement we think that we saw throughout this fiscal year," Darden Chief Executive Clarence Otis said in a conference call on Thursday.

Darden's same-restaurant sales fell short of company targets in the fourth quarter and for all of fiscal 2010, said Jefferies & Co analyst Jeff Farmer.

Farmer expects Darden's 2011 same-store sales to grow 1.5 percent. The guidance was "a show me story in the current environment," he wrote in a note to clients.

While sales remain volatile, Darden executives said the industry's rampant discounting appears to be easing. Darden, which also owns the Capital Grille steakhouse chain and is among the top-performing restaurant operators, has offered special pricing for some meals, but has refrained from the deep discounts and giveaways seen at some rival chains.

Still, some recent results suggest that it will be difficult to wean customers off deals.

California Pizza Kitchen Inc (CPKI.O) on Monday cut its second-quarter profit forecast after the absence of a popular promotion contributed to weaker-than-expected sales. [ID:nN21231561]

On other fronts, Darden said that while it does source some seafood from the Gulf of Mexico -- the site of an environmentally devastating BP (BP.L) oil spill [ID:nLDE65N02E] -- it gets the "large majority" of its seafood from other parts of the globe and has so far seen "very little impact on costs and availability".

Thus far, Darden said, only oysters have been affected. (Reporting by Lisa Baertlein. Editing by Robert MacMillan)